The UK has a world-class reputation for engineering design, particularly in high-profile sectors such as aerospace and automotive.

An important goal for this area is the move towards achieving net zero CO2 emissions, particularly where engineered products, such as cars and aeroplanes, can reduce emissions throughout their operational life by learning from experience, rather than this being fixed at the design stage.

Digitalization lies at the heart of achieving net zero through this new approach to engineering design, yet too many digital transformation projects fail because the right environment for collaborating in this way does not exist.

A Digital Approach to Design

Achieving net-zero CO2 emissions is a major goal across all industries.

However, for those sectors with products that have a long life, such as aviation, the window for designing products that meet this goal is very small and the design stage is dwarfed by the in-service time during which the actual environmental impact is realized.

This is compounded by regulatory constraints that limit the extent to which changes in product specification can be made and largely prevent manufacturers from making significant innovations once the necessary approvals have been achieved.

Therefore, the goal of meeting net zero carbon emissions requires a fundamentally new approach to engineering. It requires through-life co-creation to take part much more broadly than at present, a greater understanding of environmental issues, and a new approach to the design and assurance cycle.

Even if there was a way of improving the carbon emissions of a machine during its lifetime, current regulations prevent adaptations from being made to the design.

Designers and manufacturers are now looking at the possibility of fitting sensors to a product that could collect performance data and automatically send it to designers. Using an AI and digital twin system, modifications to improve performance could be designed, manufactured, and then fitted during routine maintenance.

To learn more about reflexive engineering design, watch the on-demand webinar now: Moving towards Net Zero – engineering a sustainable and resilient world.

The Role of Standards in Digital Engineering

In the UK, we have a very strong engineering design presence, especially in the automotive and aerospace industries. With companies such as Nissan, Rolls Royce, Jaguar Land Rover, and Airbus all having strong design centers in the UK, and we want to develop that capability.

BS 8888 defines the requirements for the technical specification of products and their component parts. The standard explains the way in which engineering drawings outline and present these specifications and covers all the symbology and information that engineers and designers need to include on their drawings, whether they are produced in 2D or in 3D, created using CAD systems and 3D modeling.

BSI is also at an early stage in investigations regarding a standards model for reflexive engineering design and we are very excited by the possibilities.

Such a system could bring huge benefits to UK industry, developing our design and engineering capability and allowing improvements to be integrated without having to start from scratch with a new design.

As a starting point, to reassure business owners and provide clear guidance, BSI has published PAS 1040, a guide for adopting digital technologies in manufacturing. It will help them assess how ready they are to adopt digital manufacturing, what different parts of the business would be affected, and where to focus their attention.

The road to achieving Net Zero affects all facets of engineering. Adopting digital manufacturing into the design process will help organizations lower their carbon emissions and help the engineering industry achieve its net zero goal.

As the pressure builds for engineering businesses to achieve net zero, knowing which standards can help you and how to share their guidance within your organization can seem like a huge challenge. With a BSI Knowledge subscription, you will have the flexibility and visibility to manage the essential standards you need in order to start your journey to net zero with confidence. Build your own custom collection of standards, or opt for access to one of our pre-built modules, such as GBM06 Environment, Wastes, and keep up-to-date with any relevant changes to your standards strategy. Request to learn more.

To help your organization prepare for the digital design revolution of tomorrow and lower carbon emissions, download PAS 1040 for free today.